A post by a local blogger suggesting that the Toyota Motor Corp. is considering building a manufacturing and distribution plant in North Las Vegas has generated some buzz, but economic development leaders statewide say they don’t know anything about such a project.
Freelance writer Mike Henle, who writes the Mad Dog Blog on his mikehenle.com website, reported Monday that unidentified North Las Vegas sources confirmed Toyota had been reviewing two sites for a plant for the past several months.
Henle, a former Las Vegas Review-Journal sports writer who writes about automotive topics and activities at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, among a wide variety of interests, said Toyota officials had invested to the point of conducting land surveys.
“One location is situated near Losee and Craig roads, while the other is reportedly being considered on Thomas & Mack land near Las Vegas Motor Speedway,” he wrote in his blog piece titled “Toyota rumored to be researching the idea of opening new plant in North Las Vegas.”
But economic development leaders in the state say they are not aware of any plan by Toyota to build a plant.
“It would be an absolutely wonderful way to start the new year,” said Terri Sheridan, of the city of North Las Vegas’ economic development department. “We do have sites of between 80 and 100 acres, depending on what part of the city they are looking at. I think with something like that, anything is possible.”
Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, who chairs the state’s Economic Development Commission, said he hadn’t heard anything about it, nor had Somer Hollingsworth, president and CEO of the Nevada Development Authority.
Henle said Toyota was looking for a U.S. manufacturing site in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami centered 250 miles northeast of Tokyo. The disaster disrupted supply lines and manufacturing for Toyota, Honda, Acura, Nissan and Subaru models.
Henle wrote that his sources said the two sites had buildings in place and were near railroad spurs. Both are within easy access of Interstate 15.
Rick Myers, president of the Thomas & Mack Development Group, said his company was contacted about six months ago by an intermediary for a company interested in a large tract of land, but nothing came of it.
He said he did not know if Toyota was involved and hadn’t had contact with the auto company.
Thomas & Mack Development Group's online portfolio has a description of a North Las Vegas site, known as the Northern Beltway Industrial Center.
“Northern Beltway Industrial Center is a 1.92 million-square-foot development located at Range Road and El Campo Grande Avenue in North Las Vegas, just east of the I-15/215 interchange,” the company’s website says.
“The 97-acre project will consist of seven big-box industrial buildings ranging from 145,600 square feet to 500,000 square feet. Martin-Harris Construction is finishing the first phase consisting of two buildings with a combined total of 422,054 square feet. The project will accommodate large industrial and distribution users needing immediate access to local businesses and the interstate highway.”
Representatives of Toyota’s Kentucky-based domestic manufacturing division were unavailable, and several analysts covering the automotive industry were away for the holidays.
Henle wrote that a local businessman who conducted the land survey is convinced the Toyota rumor is true.
“We were paid $100,000 to survey the land,” he said. “Toyota is serious about this.”